Refrigerator cabinet having a movable evaporator



June 13, 1950 1.. A. PHILIPP 2,511,127

REFRIGERATOR CABINET HAVING A MOVABLE EVAPORATOR Filed Nov. 4, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. LFMQENCE H PHILIPP June E3, 1950 L. A. PHlLlPP 2,511,127

REFRIGERATOR CABINET HAVING A MOVABLE EVAPORATOR Filed Nov. 4. 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IINVENTOR. Lamas/v05 H PHHJPP M Q W HTTOQNEY Patented June 13, 1950 PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR CABINET HAVING A MOVABLE EVAPOBATOR Lawrence A. Philipp, Detroit, Micln, oasis-nor to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Maryland Application November 4, 1947, Serial No. 784,036

Claims.

This invention relates generally to refrigerating apparatusand more particularly to refrigerators of the household type.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide in a refrigerator an improved arrangement for effecting vertical adjustment of a refrigerant evaporator to change the storage capacities and temperatures of adjacent compartments.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an evaporator supporting, refrigerating shelf which is vertically adjustable to change the capacities and temperatures of adjacent food storage and ice making compartments of a refrigerator cabinet.

Another object of the invention resides inthe provision and arrangement of a refrigerant evaporator, shelf, drip pan, etc., which are vertically adjustable as a unit in a refrigerator cabinet.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front view without the door of the upper portion of a refrigerator,embodying features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross sectional view of the refrigerator, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view of the refrigerator, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the refrigerator, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view of a modification of the invention; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatical view of the refrigcrating system for the refrigerator.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the numeral designates, in general, a refrigerator cabinet of the household type. The cabinet 26 preferably has a casing 22 and a liner 24. Heat insulation 26, which may be of any suitable type, is preferably interposed between the casing 22 and the liner 24 to decrease heat leakage into the interior of the cabinet. As is more clearly shown in Fig. 2, the liner 24 includes side walls 28 and a rear wall 29 which in part form a lower food storage compartment 30 and an upper ice making and food storage compartrnent 32. A door (not shown) may be provided for closing the front of the cabinet and may be hinged to one side thereof.

In accordance with my invention, I provide in the cabinet 20, a unit 36 which constitutes a common horizontal partition between the compartments 30 and 32, and I support this unit 36 so change the capacities and temperatures of the compartments 30, 32. Preferably, the unit 36 is disposed adjacent the top wall of the cabinet, providing the relatively small ice making and storage compartment 32 and the relatively large food storage compartment 30 therebelow. As is shown more clearly in Fig. 2, the unit 36 extends substantially entirely across the width of the cabinet and also extends substantially from the front of the cabinet to the rear wall of the liner 24. The unit 36 comprises, in general, a pair of supporting members or rails 40, a, refrigerant evaporator 42, a refrigerated shelf 44 and a drip pan 46. The supporting rails 40 extend along the opposite sides 28 of the cabinet liner and support the,evaporator 42, refrigerated plate 44 and the drip pan 46. The evaporator 42, in the usual form of a sinuous or serpentine coil is carried by and on the under side of the shelf 44 which in turn is carried by or seats on the upper seating surfaces 46 of the supporting rails 40. Cement or other suitable means may be used for securing the evaporator 42 to and in good heat transfer relationship with the under side of the shelf 44. 30 The shelf 44 is preferably a metallic sheet or plate which is refrigerated by conduction through contact with the evaporator 42. In order to support the refrigerated shelf on the supporting rails 40 without need of fasteners, I support the refrigerated shelf 44 loosely on the upper seating surfaces 48 of the rails and I incline the seating surfaces 48 downwardly and inwardl to hold the shelf wedge-like against lateral movement. The shelf side edges engage the rails seating sur- 40 faces 48 with sufficient friction to hold the rails spaced apart, or if desired, the plate 44 may be secured to the member 48 by any of the wellknown securing means. Spaced below the upper shelf supporting surfaces 38, the rails 40 have longitudinally extending offsets 49 providing horizontal seating surfaces or slideways 50 for the drip pan 46.

Secured to opposite liner sides 28 are fixed rail supporting members 5| having vertically spaced 50 steps 52 for receiving retractible pins 54, carried by the rails 40. The pins 54 may be slidably supported horizontally in hollow bosses 56 formed integral with and located on the lower edges of the rails 40 adjacent the front and rear thereof. In each of the hollow bosses 66, a coil spring 68 that it can be readily vertically adjusted to surrounds the pin It and acting against an abutment It on the pin was the pin outwardly. The stepped supporting members If may be secured by self threading screws 62 or by other suitable fasteners to the liner sides 2!. In the modification of Fig. 5, instead of having the stepped members II secured to the liner, I have formed the steps, as at N, in the liner itself by notching the liner, as illustrated.

In the refrigerating system, refrigerant is delivered from a refrigerant condenser 66 to the evaporator 42 through a flow control or capillary tube 6|. As is well known, such tubes are adapted to deliver refrigerant in proper amounts to the evaporator for maintaining desired temperatures. Gaseous refrigerant is withdrawn from the evaporator 44 to and by a motor-compressor unit It through a return conduit 12 whence the refrigerant is returned to the condenser. A portion of the capillary tube, as at It, is preferably arranged in good heat transfer relationship with the conduit I2 so as to cool the liquid refrigerant passing through the capillary tube to the evaporator.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted that I have provided an improved refrigerator in spaced supporting means on the cabinet for holding said movable supports in the vertically adjusted positions, and retractable members carried by said vertical movable supports engageable with said vertically spaced supports.

2. In refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet, a refrigerant evaporator within and dividing said which a unit, including a refrigerant evaporator,

may be vertically adjusted in the refrigerator cabinet. In Fig. 1 of the drawings, the unit It is shown in its uppermost adjusted position, adjacent the top of the cabinet and a number of ice trays are shown supported by the refrigerator shelf It in good heat conducting relationship therewith. This arrangement may be desirable at times when only a normal supply of ice cubes are required or when maximum storage space in the food storage compartment is desired. However, if it is desired to increase the storage capacity of the compartment 32, the unit 38 may be lowered a notch or two and additional ice trays may be stacked on the present trays. At other times, it may be desirable to place a large package of food in the ice making compartment 32 to cool the food by conduction with the refrigerated shelf 44, in which event, the compartment 32 is enlarged to receive said package by lowering the unit 36. In order to raise and lower the unit 36 without danger of fracturing the tube 68 and return line 12, these lines are arranged to enter the cabinet through an opening in the back wall adjacent the top of the cabinet, and then extend in a large loop substantially across the width of the cabinet before connecting with the evaporator 42.

Although only preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet, a refrigerant evaporator within said cabinet dividing the interior thereof into a food storage compartment and a, freezing compartment, said refrigerant evaporator being vertically adjustable to vary the relative storage capacities of said compartments and to change the temperature of the food storage compartment, vertically movable supports carrying said evaporator, vertically cabinet into a food storage compartment on one side of said evaporator and an ice making compartment on the other side of said evaporator. said evaporator being vertically adjustable to change the relative storage capacities of said compartment and to change the temperature of the food storage compartment, a pair of heat insulating supporting rails supporting said evaporater, vertically spaced steps at the sides of the cabinet, and retractable means carried by said supporting rails engageable with said steps.

3. In refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet having a liner, a refrigerant evaporator extending between the sides of said liner in said cabinet dividing the interior thereof into a food storage compartment on one side of said evaporator formed in part by said liner and an ice making compartment on the other side of said evaporator formed in part by said liner, said evaporator being vertically adjustable to change the storage capacities of said compartments and to change the temperature of said food storage compartment, vertically spaced notches formed in opposite sides of said liner, and means carrying said evaporator engaging in said notches.

4. A vertically adjustable unit for use in a refrigerator cabinet comprising, a pair of vertically movable supporting members having upper and lower supporting surfaces, retractable supporting members carried by said first supporting members to engage cooperable means on the cabinet walls for holding said pair of vertically movable supporting members in vertical adjusted position, a shelf resting on the said upper supporting surfaces, a drip pan supported on the lower of said supporting surfaces, and a refrigerant evaporator carried by and secured to the underside of said shelf above said drip pan;

5. A vertically adjustable unit for use in a refrigerator cabinet comprising, a pair of spaced vertically movable supporting members, said members having upper inclined supporting surfaces and lower supporting surfaces, retractable supporting means carried by said supporting members to engage cooperable supporting means on the cabinet and hold said supporting members in vertically adjusted position, a shelf loosely resting on said upper inclined surfaces, a drip pan supported on said lower supporting surfaces, and a refrigerant evaporator carried by and secured to the underside of said shelf above said dri pan.

LAWRENCE A. PHILIPP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,822,121 Barry Sept. 8, 1931 2,166,161 Kleist July 18, 1930 2,282,342 Preble May 12, 1943 

